Pure
by Nanaki Lioness
Summary: Taito- the kind that makes you want to hug pillows and say 'awww'. Set in the snowy park of Odiaba. Cliché and overdone? Probably. A joy to write? Absolutely.


Disclaimer: The characters, items, places etc of Digimon are property of Toei Ltd. These objects are used without permission for entertainment only, not for making money. No infringement is intended.

Pure

By Nanaki Lioness

_I take no responsibility for the sappiness of this fic .;;_

"It's so cold…"

Tai grinned, wrapping his winter coat around himself tighter.

"Well, you're the one who came out at midnight with only a thin jacket on, Matt," he pointed out of his friend.

They were standing on the icy path that ran through their local park, snow all around them in soft, white blanket of bitter iciness. Trees whose leaves had turned golden with the turn of fall were shiny and shimmering in the moonlight.

Matt, however, wasn't taking in the beautiful landscape around him. He was _cold._

"Why the heck did you call me and get me out here at midnight?" He demanded to know of his decidedly warmer-looking friend.

Tai shrugged.

"I was lonely," he suggested.

"Then you could have called me to your _house," Matt said, a slight tone of whining in his voice._

"That wouldn't have been so much fun," Tai said wickedly. "Besides, my little apartment doesn't look as beautiful as this."

"Beautiful as _what? Tai, it's __freezing out here."_

"Look around you…"

Matt did so, not wanting to pay attention to whatever Tai was trying to point out. However, it was difficult. The atmosphere they were in truly _did look stunning. The air around them was positively blue from moonlight, and the puddles of ice beneath their feet reflected the satellite above them in all its silver glory._

Matt sighed, ignoring the fact he could see his breath as he did so.

"Tai, I'm serious. It's too cold to be admiring the view, no matter how nice it is."

"I'm not cold."

"I'm freezing!" Matt protested. "Here, feel!"

He put his hand onto Tai's cheek. Tai pulled away, shocked by exactly _how cold it really was._

"Then you should have bought gloves or something. I don't want to go home just yet…"

"Then is there a café or something open?" Matt asked. "I don't mind being out with you, Tai. I just can't stand out here all night or I'll get sick."

"I'm not asking for you to stay with me all night," Tai said, exasperated. "Just… A little while."

He started walking, and Matt had no choice but to follow.

"Tai…" He protested feebly, but Tai wasn't listening. Accepting that he wasn't going to get any sense out of his friend, he simply walked alongside him, thrusting his frosty hands deep into his pockets.

They walked slowly in silence, feet crunching the snow and ice that lay before them softly.

"So… What did you _really call me out for?" Matt asked gently. He sensed something wasn't right; he never received calls from Tai at half past eleven that asked him to meet him at the park at midnight. __Especially not in the cold._

"Because I missed you," came the honest answer. Matt looked taken aback.

"Tai…?"

"I mean it."

Tai didn't turn to look at his blond friend. He kept on walking, eyes to the floor, watching as he made footsteps in the snow.

"Well… I miss you too, sometimes, but I don't call you up and make you come meet me. I just arrange to see you the next day."

"We already spent the day together, though."

Matt shrugged. "So? There's nothing that says we can't see each other tomorrow, either."

"And the next day, and the day after that," Tai said, rolling his eyes. "Matt, I miss you every day I don't see you."

Matt smiled slightly.

"It's nice to feel wanted," he said softly. "But, everything that you feel about me, I feel about you. You miss me when you don't see me- I feel the same about you, you know-"

"No!"

Matt stopped talking, the interruption taking him by surprise.

"Don't you _ever say you know how I feel."_

"Okay…" Matt said slowly. "Okay, I won't… But that won't stop it being true…"

"What _do you feel about me, huh?!" Tai asked, his voice as bitter as the wing around them. "What do you __really think of me?"_

"Tai, what _is this?" Matt questioned. "What's the matter with you…?"_

He reached out a hand, placing it on Tai's shoulder, but he simply shook it off harshly.

"Just answer the question," he said, staring at the floor.

Matt sighed.

"I… I'm not very _good at this…" He said, struggling for words. "What __do I say about you?"_

"Do you like me?"

Matt laughed. "Of course I do. If I didn't, I wouldn't leave my lovely warm bed to meet you in the freezing cold."

"Do you love me?"

Matt paused for a moment, then nodded. "Yes. You're my best friend. Who am I if I can't say that I love you?"

"You don't say it."

Matt didn't respond to that- didn't quite know how.

"No-one ever says that they love me," Tai said so quietly his voice was almost missed by his attentive friend.

"Is _that what this is about?" Matt said, relief flooding his voice. "And here's me thinking it was something that we couldn't solve! Lots of people love you, you idiot!"_

Tai laughed bitterly, stopping and closing his eyes. When he opened them again, tears glistened within them.

"Don't cry…" Matt said, putting his hand out to his friend again. "It's so cold, your tears will turn to ice…"

Tai laughed a little, blinking and do exactly what he had been advised not to. Matt sighed softly.

"What are we gonna _do with you…?" He said, taking what he assumed to be the best course of action at that point- pulling his friend into a quick embrace. As he tried to let go, he found he couldn't. Tai was clinging to him tightly, folding his hands into the material of his thin jacket and burying himself into Matt's shoulder._

Matt didn't complain; not only was it helping his friend, but he was also warm. It felt strangely comforting to him, too.

Only when he hears soft sobs emanating from Tai did he pull him away and look him in the eye.

"Tai, you-"

He was interrupted by the brunette taking a course of action Matt had never dreamed he would- kissing him softly on the lips.

Stunned, eyes wide and cold forgotten, Matt placed a hand to his lips. Tai didn't dare to look at him as he quickly pulled away, keeping his troubled eyes to the floor. Not quite knowing how to react, Matt ran his tongue over his lips gently. He could taste the salt of Tai's tears on them.

"Sorry…"

"Don't be," Matt answered almost as soon as the word was uttered.

"I d-don't…" Tai started before breaking off. He took a deep breath and continued walking. Matt took up his place beside him, and they continued on.

"Did you mind?" Tai eventually came up with.

Matt shook his head.

"No. What's a kiss between friends?"

"A kiss between friends of the same _sex?"_

Matt shrugged. Tai looked at him curiously.

"It… You really don't _care?"_

Matt shrugged again. "Why the heck should I? It's _you, for crying out loud."_

Silence again for a moment, until Tai spoke again.

"So… It wouldn't bother you if I told you that maybe I liked it?"

"_Why would it bother me, Tai?" Matt said, exasperated._

"Because we're both guys?"

"Look, Tai, sexuality means absolutely nothing to me. If you're trying to tell me you're gay, you know, it really doesn't bother me."

Tai opened his mouth and closed it again, speechless.

Matt winked.

"_That caught you out, didn't it?"_

Tai smiled a little.

"That's kinda what I was trying to say…"

Matt stopped walking a moment, looking at Tai curiously.

"Is _that what you dragged me out here to say?! God, Tai, you could have done that any time any place!" He shivered slightly. "__Not out in the freezing cold!"_

"I couldn't do this any time any place."

With that, Tai kissed Matt again. Softly, closing his eyes and melting into an embrace- realising with a measure of joy that he wasn't being rejected.

When they pulled apart, Matt smiled and placed his hands on his hips.

"You know, you could have done that anywhere but in the freezing cold!" he exclaimed. "I wouldn't have cared!"

"I wanted it to be special…" Tai said, grinning a little and looking much more like his usual cheerful self. "And tonight… It looked so beautiful out my bedroom window that I couldn't think of a better time and place."

Matt simply smiled, cheeks flushed a little red with emotion and cold. Tai simply took his hand gently, pulling him along a little.

"Come on," he said. "Let's get you home. You look absolutely frozen."

"I _am," Matt whined, squeezing Tai's warm hand softly. "I've been saying that right from the start!"_

"Do you want me to take you home? Or do you want to come back with me?"

Matt sighed. "I'd better go home. Dad doesn't know I came out…"

"Then we need to part here."

They both stopped walking, each looking in the direction they needed to go at the road junction they had reached outside the park.

"Until tomorrow?" Matt asked.

Tai nodded, leaning over and kissing Matt's cold, cold cheek.

"Wouldn't miss it for the world."

With that, he took off down the street, leaving Matt to make his way back to his apartment. As he walked, the clock within the park he had just left chimed one am. Sighing wryly, he quickened his pace.

The quicker he could get home and get to bed the better. He wanted the next day to arrive in haste, and sleep was always the best option.

"Sleep well!"

He turned on hearing Tai's voice echo around him and smiled softly.

"You too," he whispered into the wind before continuing on his way, leaving his words to carry on the bitterly icy winds.

Hopefully they would reach the ears of the person they were directed at.

_Author's Note: My God, where did this come from? Fluffy, beautiful Taito. I know it's cliché and I know it's probably been done many a time, but this wrote itself. I had no control whatsoever here! My muse took my hostage! ^_^_

_Feedback?__ E-mails to Nanaki_Lioness@hotmail.com? Yes, they would be appreciated ^^_


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